CullenFlock The Beginning
by FeatherWriter
Summary: A prelude to the Cullen/Flock conversations, this crossover story involves how the Cullens and the Flock first met. POV switches between Bella and Max each chapter!
1. 1 Bella

Bella

I'd been a little suspicious when Edward had shown up today. He told Charlie that he was treating me to lunch in Port Angeles. As soon as we'd gotten into the car he asked me if that's really what I really wanted to do. I said no, obviously seeing that he had something planned. Of course, he did.

He was weaving through the winding drive to his house, much too fast as usual, before he turned to me and grinned.

"What _are_ we doing, Edward?"

He seemed like he was going to answer as we pulled to a stop, but three quick raps on my window cut him off. It was Alice, holding a basket and smiling in a way that told me she's gone overboard on something again.

"This is so romantic! I can't believe I didn't think of if first! You'll have to tell me all about it when you get back."

"Alice," I interrupted. "I don't even know what you're talking about."

Alice looked confused, then she turned to Edward. "You didn't tell her?" She accused. "I saw that you were going to."

"Well, I was about to start before you showed up."

Alice rolled her eyes. "Well, you should have told her before then. Anyways Bella," she said, turning back to me. "Edward's taking you on a picnic!"

I looked at him. "A picnic? Don't you think we should do something that would be enjoyable for both of us?"

He smiled. "I enjoy watching you eat. It's interesting."

"Great, now I'm going to be wondering what could possibly be interesting about me eating." But he seemed happy enough about it, so I didn't argue.

Edward grabbed the picnic basket from Alice and swung me onto his back in one fluid motion. We took off into the forest around the house. Now we were flying though the trees, so quickly they were blurring.

We'd been running for about twenty minutes, but it felt like longer. We had to be far away from any sort of civilization, but I had no doubt that Edward knew exactly where we were.

All of a sudden he jumped. It was exhilarating, soaring through a gap in the canopy that I hadn't even seen coming. I watched as the trees grew farther away. 

At about twenty-five feet above the treetops we leveled out; hanging in the air for a second. I took a deep breath, enjoying the scents of pine and wildflowers that flourished even up here. Edward followed my example, then stiffened. I tightened my hold on him, knowing something was wrong. He didn't relax, even when we were back on the ground.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

Edward looked puzzled. "There's a human scent up there, quite a few actually. And they weren't falling, just moving in a straight line."

"What is it?"

He smiled that crooked smile I loved. "Would you mind coming with me to find out?"

"I don't know. If we don't know what it is…"

He held my face between his hands and looked at me in a way that really ought to be illegal. No one should be that persuasive. "Bella, would I let anything hurt you? I really am curious."

"You know it's not fair when you dazzle me like that. But all right, we can go."

We took off again, following the trail fifty feet above us. Now that he had smelled it up close, Edward didn't seem to have a problem following it.

After a few minutes, he laughed, but kept running. "It seems 'the Beta' and his wingmen have found our levitating friends."

"The Beta?" I asked confused. "Oh, Jacob." I smiled at my invented name for Jacob's position in the pack. "Let's hurry."

He laughed again and started to run even faster.


	2. 2 Max

Max

If you've never been to Washington, I've got one thing to say; it's green. Really green. As in, every rock is green, every tree trunk is green, and it would not surprise me if the birds here were covered in moss. But I wouldn't know, because all the birds here gave us a wide berth. Apparently bird kids are too strange for them.

Why were we in Washington? Because the Voice said that's where we needed to be. Why did the Voice say that? I have no flipping idea, because the Voice seems to be allergic to straight answers.

So now we were flying low over the sea of greenness, waiting to see if the Voice would tell me more. I didn't know what we were looking for; a different shade of green maybe? Because, seriously, that's all I could see.

Fang shot me a look that said "This isn't working, let's land and get a new plan." I nodded and headed for the ground. He followed after, tailed by Iggy and the younger kids.

I was about to ask for _someone_ to offer a new plan, since mine had failed, when Angel interrupted me. "Someone's coming." My eyebrows shot up, because A. We were in the middle of nowhere and B. because Angel had heard someone's mind before Iggy had actually heard them.

But then Iggy spoke up too. "Yeah, they're coming, fast too. They're practically silent, it's no wonder I didn't hear them before. It almost sounds like they're running on four legs instead of two." Four legs? Even Erasers walked on two legs in their wolfy form.

Angel looked surprised and confused. "Max, they're-" But she didn't finish, because just then, the biggest wolves I'd ever seen stepped into the clearing.

They were bigger than horses, extremely muscled, and they looked lethal. The one in the middle was red-brown, and the two on either side of it were chocolate brown and grayish white.

So that's why we were here. There had to be an Itex plant still operating. And these Erasers were mutated out of control. I tensed to fight as soon as the middle one dropped into a crouch.

I looked to Angel and saw that she was right next to me now. "Angel," I whispered. "Do they think like people or animals?"

Angel still had that confused expression on her face. "They think like people. But, Max, I think they're werewolves."

"Erasers, you mean?"

"No, the real thing. Or at least they think they are. Werewolves. And they think it's funny that you think you can take them in a fight." Funny? I'd show them funny. We'd see who was laughing when this was finished. They were like Erasers right? Just bigger.

Fang and I both tensed at the same time, in that creepy telepathic way that we have. We were about to attack when all three wolves' heads swiveled sideways.


	3. 3 Bella

Bella

We broke through the trees so quickly that the sun surprised me. I blinked to let my eyes adjust before I saw the horrifying scene before us.

Quil, Embry, and Jacob were standing off against a couple of teenagers. Something moved near the tall girl's leg and I saw that there were also some younger kids with them. What were hey doing out in the wilderness without parents?

Then I saw the girl's posture. For a second I thought she had to be a vampire, she looked dangerous. But her cheeks were flushed with adrenaline, and she was too tan, not pale. My common sense told me that I should yell at Jacob to back off because they were just kids, but my first instinct was to tell him to run. They looked lethal, even the youngest one who couldn't have been older than seven.

Everyone turned to look at us as Edward stepped lightly into the clearing and pulled me off his back. The girl's blonde hair whipped around her face as she focused on me; sizing me up. She apparently didn't find me too threatening, because she quickly looked to Edward.

Jacob growled at us from where he stood, obviously not excited to see us there, though I was pretty sure it was not me that he had the problem with. He must have shot a thought at Edward, because he responded.

"We were actually going to have a picnic, when I caught their scent." He motioned to the girl and her group. "What are you doing here?" I looked over to see how the kids were doing through this confusing exchange.

Five of them looked confused. The littlest one looked skeptical, then surprised. She then whispered something to the blonde girl, whose eyebrows shot up.

Edward turned toward the little one as if called. He looked at her before his expression changed too. He looked as surprised as they did, and a little amused.

Jacob growled again at Edward, to which he replied, "If you think that's necessary." Then Jacob turned into the woods and ran in. Quil and Embry didn't follow, so I assumed he was phasing so that he could talk. A few minutes later he walked back, human again, with no shirt and no shoes as usual.

"Yes I do think it's necessary, leech." I frowned at him, but he didn't seem to notice. "We found them first! They're ours!"

Edward was as calm and composed as ever. "Actually, they're on our side of the line, so we'll take care of them."

The blonde girl put her hands on her hips, finally letting down her fighting stance. "Excuse me?"


	4. 4 Max

Max

"Excuse me?" I said. "We don't belong to anyone, and we certainly don't need taken care of." The words didn't sound nearly as threatening as I'd meant them to.

Color me way-freaked. First there's the giant Erasers; werewolves according to Angel. Of course, I wasn't entirely sure that Angel was sane right now, because as soon as the new guy appeared, OUT OF THIN STINKING AIR, Angel had leaned over and told me "vampire".

Then she and her "vampire" had their little moment and she stopped saying things.

By now, you can guess I'm pretty confused. But it's not over yet. Because things aren't weird enough, Dracula over there says "If you think that's necessary," and the reddish wolf, _walked away!_ Then out comes this freakishly huge guy who is obviously the same person. How do I know this? Because he comes back with: "Yes, I do think it's necessary, leech!" This totally fuels my Eraser theory, because, don't werewolves need a full moon or something?

Which brings us back to here, where our Eraser and bloodsucker are fighting over who gets to _"take care of them."_(ominous much? ), and me trying to keep them from walking all over us. That doesn't sound nuts at all.

"We do not need anyone's help!" I shouted, sounding braver than I felt.

The "vampire" looked at me. "It seems we have a lot to learn about each other."

I was about to come back with something witty and brilliant, when Angel started walking forward.

"Angel!" I hissed, but she wasn't listening. What was wrong with her? Wasn't she the one who'd told me he was a vampire in the first place? Angel had obviously lost it.

The girl standing next to him looked worried. "Edward, what's going on?" I tucked the name into my head for later use. Names are always good. Unless they're fake. Then it's just a waste of time.

"Yeah, _Edward_," The "werewolf" sneered. "What are you doing to her?"

Angel was in the middle of all of us now. "Edward's not doing anything, Jacob."

"That's exactly what you'd say if you were under some vamp-" He stopped, looking nervously at us. Was he about to say vampire? Was everyone here delusional?

"Wait," Jacob said, looking at Angel quizzically. "How did you know my name?"

"Angel and I have something in common," our bloodsucker said.

Jacob looked confused. "But she's not…?"

"No," Edward said. "Think harder. Here's a hint; she'll know if you do." He winked and tapped his temple.

Jacob apparently figured it out because he swore. "She's a mind reader? But she's not a filthy, blood-sucking vampire!"

Everything was still as Jacob realized what he'd just said. So I stepped up. "So let me get this straight," I said. "You're a vampire, and their werewolves and-"

"You have wings." He interrupted me. The five of us froze; Angel looked completely calm, she'd been expecting it. _Thanks a lot Angel for the heads up!_

"How did you know that?" _Something in common? _I gasped. "You're a mind reader too!"

"I think it's time we were introduced properly. I'm Edward Cullen." He extended his pale hand toward me. "I'm a vampire."

I looked at Angel. "It's okay," she said. "He doesn't hurt people."

Jacob snorted. "Much." He muttered. I was beginning to wonder what his problem with Edward was. He didn't seem too bad to me.

"Okaaay," I said, hesitantly, taking his hand. It was cold and hard, like a rock. "I'm Max, well, Maximum Ride. I'm an avian-human hybrid."

Iggy snickered. "I don't know why you like that term Max, does it make you feel smart? You could just say bird kid." The girl next to Edward looked confused, she obviously wasn't following. I let my wings unfurl a bit. She gasped. That made me blush; it reminded me of the first time Ella had seen my wings.

Jacob let loose a few words that Angel could have gone without hearing. "So do you all…?"

I blushed harder. "Yeah, we do. I assume you already know Angel, so the dark one's Fang, the tall one's Iggy, next to him is Gasman, and last is Nudge." I stepped back to show that I was finished, and tripped over my own feet. I caught myself before I fell on my back, but it still looked pretty dumb. Of course I had to look stupid _right now_. Of course.


	5. 5 Bella

Bella

I was shocked. More shocked than when Edward told me he was a vampire. More shocked than when Jacob told me he was a werewolf. Because, those times, I'd figured it out, and then had it confirmed. This was just overwhelming.

Wings. They had wings. Like angels or fairies, but for real. Maybe they were angels. Hadn't that one girl said her name was Angel? If vampires and werewolves were real, why not angels?

Edward tapped me on the shoulder, bringing me back to reality. I remembered that we were making introductions. It was probably my turn. I stepped out from behind Edward. "I'm Bella, and I'm a human." I shot a glance at him. "… For now."

Jacob hissed, loud enough for everyone to hear, reminding us that it was now his turn. We turned toward him, waiting for him to either say something or start his introduction. He glared at Edward, folding his arms across his chest. Normally that would have looked a little immature, but Jacob pulled it off, somehow looking menacing.

"I don't have to go along with your little 'introductions', leech," he snarled.

"Yes, but that wouldn't be polite." Edward replied with a grin that made me feel like I was missing out on an inside joke.

Jacob looked at him with absolute hatred. "I'll give you impolite…"

Max tensed, sensing that a fight was coming. I wasn't about to let that happen. "Jacob, stop it." I glared at him. "Just introduce yourself."

"I hate it when you do that," he pouted. Reluctantly, he turned to Max's group. "Whatever. Jacob. Werewolf." He pointed to the two wolves beside him. "Quil. Embry."

I crossed my arms. "Would it kill you to say more than five words?"

Max laughed. "It's okay, Bella. I'm used to talking to a mute." She looked at the one called Fang. He shrugged and, fittingly, said nothing.

The little African-American girl who I thought was named Nudge spoke up. "So are we allowed to talk to them now?"


	6. 6 Max

Max

"Whatever you do, say no!" I warned. "You don't want to get her started."

"So that's a yes?" Nudge squealed. She turned to Jacob. "First off, you're kinda cute. And I think you might be fun to ride." She moved on to Edward before Jacob had even realized he'd been spoken to. "So, are you wearing glitter or something, 'cause you're kinda sparkling. And pale. And if you-"

I clapped my hands over her mouth. "Nudge, two words: Shut. Up."

Jacob looked sort of shocked. Hey, first time exposure to Nudge-ness can to that. It's not my fault he wasn't prepared. "Did she just say…?"

Bella laughed. "You might be fun to ride, Jacob. We could get you a saddle and everything."

"He's trying to imagine Nudge and you on his back." Edward accused.

A blush quickly came over Jacob's face, but was quickly replaced with an expression of anger. "Stay out of my head."

Edward shrugged. "I didn't have to go in. You flung your thoughts at me."

I glanced at Bella. She was blushing the brightest red I'd ever seen. I had a feeling that this wasn't the first time they'd fought over this.

_Don't assume that which you do not know. _

Oh, great. The Voice was back. _Why are we here?_

_You need allies._

Allies? It had to be kidding. _Are you talking about Edward and Jacob? Because I'm pretty sure they're not going to work together._

_I was talking more about the Cullens._

_Cullens? As in, more than one?_

_Yes. Edward is from a family of seven._

_Seven! Are they all…?_

_Yes, Max. They're all vampires._

Wow. A whole family of vampires. I suddenly wondered if they usually hurt humans and if Edward was just making an exception for us and Bella.

"We don't hurt humans at all." I jumped at the sound of his voice. I'd already forgotten about his talent. Angel usually didn't speak up about thoughts. "We've given up killing people because it's wrong. And also, normally groups of vampires are called covens, but we really act more like a family.

"Oh," I said lamely, a little embarrassed that he'd caught my mental questions. "Wait. If you heard me thinking just now, did you hear The Voice?"

He chuckled. "I wondered who that was. It didn't sound like you. Everyone's mind sounds different, like voices."

I turned on Fang. "Ha! I told you it existed."

He shrugged. "That, or you prompted Edward to say that. I'll never know." He smiled innocently. I wanted to kick him.

"Ugh. Mind talk." Jacob groaned. "If you guys don't need us anymore, then we're heading back to the reservation." He stalked into the woods, closely followed be the Quil and Embry-wolves.

"Don't mind Jacob." Bella said. "He's just like that sometimes."

"Yeah," Iggy said. "It's like he was raised by wolves or something." I turned to smack him upside the head, but he ducked just as I swung. How he did that, I have no idea.

"Iggy!" I scolded.

"What? It was a joke!" He held up his hands innocently. Innocent. Yeah right.

I watched as Edward started talking to Angel, probably about some mind reading thing. Nudge was talking full speed at Bella, who looked overwhelmed. I sighed. Some things never changed.

_I don't need allies. I can take care of myself._ I told The Voice, who was sure to be listening. _But I might stick around here for a while…_


End file.
